A civil society organisation, the Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Citizens, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to explain the alleged widespread failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, during Saturday’s mock accreditation exercise ahead of the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.
The coalition claimed that the exercise, organised to assess INEC’s readiness for the governorship poll, encountered significant technical challenges at selected polling units across the state, raising concerns over the commission’s preparedness.
In a statement issued by the its spokesperson, Comrade Raufu Sodiq, the organisation alleged that the exercise, scheduled to commence at 8:30 a.m., started late in some polling units.
According to the statement, “many BVAS devices reportedly stopped recognising fingerprints, facial features and Permanent Voter Cards less than 40 minutes after the exercise began, preventing the successful accreditation of eligible voters in the affected locations.”
The coalition described the alleged development as disturbing, noting that a mock accreditation exercise should ordinarily strengthen public confidence in the electoral process rather than generate fresh concerns about election preparations.
It stated that voter accreditation remains a critical stage of every election because it determines voter eligibility and safeguards the integrity of the electoral process.
The group questioned why the reported technical challenges allegedly occurred despite years of preparation and substantial public investment in electoral technology.
“We believe in strong democratic institutions and do not want to see INEC fail. However, public confidence must be built on competence, transparency and accountability. The people of Osun deserve an election
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